My celebration trip on the Carnival Triumph: From joy to misery

By Parisa Safarzadeh, Special to CNN

Updated 1244 GMT (2044 HKT) February 15, 2013

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Moments from aboard the ship – "Mike watching the first tugboat setting up to pull us," writes Chase Maclaskey on Instagram. The 4,229 passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Triumph have been stuck on the ship since fire disabled the vessel on Sunday, February 10. Click through to see passengers' photos from on board.

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Moments from aboard the ship – "One of two tugboats pulling us through the channel to Mobile, Alabama, along with a channel guide boat," writes Maclaskey. The ship is being towed slowly to Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to port late February 14.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers set up makeshift beds on a deck of the ship.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers fill the deck of the ship and look up toward the sky.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers lie on beds in a hallway aboard the Carnival Triumph.

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Moments from aboard the ship – iReporter Robin Goebel says passengers dubbed an area "tent city" where many had chosen to set up temporary shelters on the deck of the disabled Carnival Triumph. Many slept on the decks of the ship because the rooms were too hot.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers aboard the disabled Carnival Triumph cruise ship wave to a helicopter overhead as it approaches the vessel on February 14.

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Moments from aboard the ship – "This was one of the discovered only working outlets so people put their power strips together and we made a huge charging station," wrote passenger Kaitlyn Robertson.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers lie on mattresses in a hallway aboard the Carnival Triumph.

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Moments from aboard the ship – According to passenger Megan Clemons-Foxall these "buckets of sewage" rest in stairwell aboard the ship.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Passengers help themselves to food aboard the ship.

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Moments from aboard the ship – Instagram user Jacob Combs shot this photo of his balcony on the ship with the caption, "Excited for working toilets!"

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Story highlights

Parisa Safarzadeh and 8 friends took cruise to celebrate college graduation

A fire on the ship led to smoky conditions, loss of electricity, sewage odors

She says the passengers received little information about the fire

Safarzadeh: Crew and passengers were outstanding, showed compassion and concern

I started out in a room of four friends but we were re-located because our room had a leak. So we were separated and my friend and I headed to our newer, more comfortable room...or so we thought.

Around 5:30 Sunday morning, after a fun day in Mexico, we woke up to a PA announcement calling for crew help. As soon as I heard the captain come on, I looked at my friend and said, "Adriana, if the captain is coming on sounding shaken, we better start to worry."

We put on our robes and rushed out, only to smell a bitter, burning odor at the end of the hall. Keep in mind this was on deck 6, so you can imagine how much worse it was on the lower decks that were closest to the engine room.

Parisa Safarzadeh

People were throwing on life jackets and frantically rushing to find crew, friends and loved ones. By now, we had no cell service, only each other.

People on the first and second decks had opened their doors to find their hallways filled with smoke. They told us of crew members running through the halls to address the situation.

Within an hour, my friends found each other in the halls and ran to the top deck, where we could see black smoke billowing from the smokestack.

It was only 45 minutes to an hour after the first PA announcement that we were informed of a fire.

Six to eight hours later, we learned how bad the fire actually was when we heard that the crew could still not open up the engine room to inspect the damage. Not much information was provided and we were left to put the pieces together.

At this point, the majority of the passengers had been forced out of their rooms due to smoke, sewage or lack of light.

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Video of smoke on ship

Many began camping out in any open-air section of the ship. They used whatever resources were available for bedding, shade and warmth. Sheets, blankets and pillows were seen all throughout the outside areas of the ship.

Many families set up their new homes on any available spaces inside the ship, in hallways or on the floors of the dining rooms and lobbies. The passengers referred to these places as "Tent City." Luckily for me and the friends I traveled with, we were able to camp out with other friends who had a suite with a balcony. Never have I felt so blessed.

By evening on the day the fire began, we were assured that Progreso, Mexico, would be our port of arrival and that we would be there no later than Tuesday.

Of course, our hopes were extremely high. I could sense people were beginning to calm down as they anticipated Tuesday. Little did we know that soon that hope would be gone.

A couple of days after the fire, as we were getting fresh air, near evening, we were startled again. We were greeted by the sight of a second cruise ship that dropped off supplies and amazingly we were able to pick up a cell phone signal from the other ship. Finally most of us were able to make our first call, only to find out that people off the ship knew more details of the events than any of us on it.

Still we were informed that our arrival in Progreso was on track. Then the electricity went out. People were beginning to panic, but after half an hour, the power came back on.

We were told via the PA system that due to better access to flights home, we were now heading to Mobile, Alabama, and would get there by the earliest on Thursday morning. Yet again our spirits were shattered. Finally my frustrations emerged, and I lost it.

The next day began the worst part of the trip. Anywhere you went on the ship, the rancid stench from sewage was evident. At this point, in order to breathe, our only option was to keep moving to an open space where we could take a deep breath of fresh air.

Passengers were becoming anxious, aggravated, irritable and angry. Lines for food and beverages were getting longer and longer. This made people even more panicked and many began to hoard food on their plates, with nearly half of it not being consumed.

Food and water were going quicker than ever and nerves were running high. By this time, seven out of the nine friends in our group had reached their breaking points emotionally, along with many other passengers.

The two tug boats sent to tow the ship began having problems. Their tow lines were breaking, which caused more delay and lower morale.

The mood changed on Thursday when three cruise ships stopped to provide food and provisions. The Coast Guard stayed close as well and dropped off provisions. Two tug boats assisted us.

If it wasn't for the crew on board, all of us would be severely injured, starved or crazy. Crew members always had a smile on their face and a concern in their voice. Honestly, these people deserve more than compensation. They deserve a huge thank you for their enduring support, service and compassion.

This was supposed to be a celebration trip, and I can confidently say there has not been much of a celebration on this ship.

But people have been so supportive of each other. The camaraderie and compassion between the passengers and crew members has been outstanding.

Strangers lent cell phones, moms held other moms' babies so they could have a break, passengers gave a hand to the elderly to ensure they got up and down the stairs safely and guys were ready and willing to lift wheelchairs of sick children up and down the stairs, as my friend Nick Burge did.

It was the last day on the Carnival Triumph and finally we were offered treats such as hot chocolate and imitation bacon. Of course, the lines were hours long so my friends and I opted not to wait.

Instead we packed, charged our phones and cried as I sat down to write this. I could write on and on about what I have seen, heard and felt, but by Day Five, I honestly have nothing left.

Days of sipping umbrella drinks have given way to the stench of backed-up sewage, stuffy cabins without power and limited food. The Carnival Triumph engine fire shows that the best-laid cruise plans can veer terribly off course.